Some days....

 I spent yesterday turning the workshop upside down....we turned out every bag, numbered the bag and wrote an inventory list [the one for the store room is brilliant] so I expanded Ranjit's field of accounting to make life easy packing for our Etsy shop...then realised it was nearly empty so went onto fill it and make a list of things for Praveen to photograph so they can be added.....rather pleased with our efforts....

 Then onto Papu-ji's room and sorted and filed all our patterns, clients patterns, things we are working on as new samples.....generally created a lot of order. We already have a new clip board system where he writes notes as he goes when making a new sample....so we don't have to scramble later and work out what we did, how long it took, how may metres of fabric....you know the list of things to forget is endless, really.

 Look a real inventory list- go Ranjit, go!

 even looking at MY chair filing system and thinking I need to rectify it.... not sure where to put things I don't want to forget and things like our new indigo dyed silk musru and cotton mud resist I want to gloat over a little as I wonder what to do with them!! BUT yes a system will need to be found.

 I am off to Oz in a few days, alone thanks to visa problems again!! which does take the glow out of it....I will be happy to see the guys... madly rushing to get work set up for the workshop so we will have all our samples ready for the Trade Show in January.... exciting and major stress all rolled into one.

So yesterday - trying to be super organized and after a bit of disappointment [ OK nearly tears] over a less than great print job earlier in the week I went over to Nandu's with my new idea....started well...then for some reason Nandu did not check the ink consistency on the green and it started to bleed....waste of fabric when wrong....got that sorted and got a nice rhythm to the print happening.
I left another large piece to follow exactly the same pattern.....sample was there in front...well result today did leave me crying.
I love Nandu, she is a great woman, it is not fair her husband died in a motorbike accident when little Radhi was 3 days old and none of the family were ready to step up and help her. She has to work and block printing is the only thing she knows....some days she does a great job and many days a bit ho hum....
She hosts workshops we organize and is great, friendly, helpful and we charge a good rate so she makes a little nest egg out of doing them [interesting all the family seem to hang around like flies at that time with their hands out????]
but I think I am coming to the end of my tether trying to build up print work for her and not knowing whether it will be a winner or a I'll be crying.....what to do????
I understand she and many others can't read so can't write a note...not having had an education even diagram following and pictures is hard ....you need to be here to see how much school gives you in organizing information, working in a sequence and so many things you pick up while playing when very small....

I feel at my wits end as to what to do....

I left her workshop yesterday with samples in front of her, thinking yes that is a system that will be good....nup!
off for a little cry now....well no I am going to look around and appreciate the organization we have in the workshop....the list of yummy samples we have happening and hope, pray and plan for a better approach to block print.